Over $1.8 million of Marijuana Seized Off the Southern Coast of Puerto Rico

On Saturday, March 1, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection worked hand in hand with the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept a twin engine Fountain vessel traveling without navigation lights just south of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

Upon the Coast Guard’s approach of the suspicious vessel, the vessel operator failed to comply and led authorities in a high-speed pursuit. The United States Coast Guard Cutter Reliance, a medium endurance cutter, successfully overtook the Fountain vessel about 40 miles off the shore of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

A search of the vessel uncovered 30 bales of marijuana hidden inside the front compartment. The bales weighed a total of 750 pounds, with an estimated street value of $1.8 million.

The vessel occupants, a U.S. Citizen and a Jamaican national, were both taken into custody and handed over to Homeland Security Investigators for additional investigation. The marijuana and the Fountain vessel were both seized as evidence. The suspects with be prosecuted by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.